Kelvin contact testing in integrated circuit (IC) testing apparatuses typically use cantilever type contacts, where the contacts are formed as cantilevers, and part assembly types, where both contacts are assembled over an electrical insulator. With both these types, there is typically large accumulated tolerances, which makes assembly for precision Kelvin difficult.
Furthermore, kelvin contact assemblies that use housings to secure the cantilever contacts are complex and difficult to install. The end result is a long installation time that results in downtime.
Another problem of cantilever contact designs for kelvin testing apparatuses is that they produce wide tolerances that lead to uneven kelvin gaps and over-wiping issues on the device pads, as well as burr collision on the pin tips. Cantilever contact designs also have an issue with pin co-planarity. When cantilever pins are cut to shape, that creates its own tolerance distributions and contributes to unevenness or the so-called piano effect. This is an undesirable output that affects testing negatively.
What is needed in the art is a kelvin contact assembly that overcomes the above disadvantages.